Meagan's World: Rock Climbing!

On our last day in Yangshuo, we went ROCK CLIMBING!! How exciting is that? Audrey had rock climbed several times before, Grace had rock climbed once, and I had never rock climbed. Despite my inexperience, we booked some rock climbing guides and hired some equipment for only 180 Yuan...a little less than 25 US dollars. When we first decided on the expedition, I was completely not nervous at all, even though I had never done anything like it before. I figured I could handle myself after all of my trips with Dad when I was little. However, as we drove to the climbing spot and then hiked up to the Karst Peak we were going to climb, I could feel the butterflies coming alive in my stomach.

I started out on a 5-9 ascent, whatever that means. I just sort of started climbing...and about half way through I was stuck. My arms -- especially my forearms -- were completely exhausted. So, I just hung out for a little bit and then kept going. It took me a long time, but I made it to the top!! I was so proud of myself, I won't deny it! It was a great day. Our guides were really cool and patient with me. They brought an ipod and attached speakers to it so that we would have music, which I thought was pretty funny, cause there we were in China surrounded by fields and peasants with water buffalo passing by us, listening to a shiny littlen white ipod. Also with us was an Australian guy who had been travelling for about 6 months through China and an older Welsh guy who sold his house and has been travelling ever since. He had just spent the past 3 months in Nepal until it got too dangerous, then he headed through Tibet and finally made it to Yangshuo. He was quite an inspiring traveller! He said he is just going to keep on keeping on until he is too old or is too tired. I think that takes alot of guts at his age...hopefully he has a good nest egg saved. Maybe that is what Dad would have ended up doing...I don't think so though, cause Dad did like his life in LA and liked to do things that required money, like eat out at nice restaurants and go to bars and stuff.

The other cool thing about Yangshuo was this delicious dessert that we discovered...none of us had ever tried it before. There were tons of street stalls selling it, you could tell by the huge brass tea pots. Basically, the shop clerk would put a little bit of a watery white liquid in a cup, then pour a hot clear liquid from the tea pot. When the two liquids combined, it turned into a gelatious clear goo. Then you could choose any sort of topping to put on: black sesame powder, haw (like a firm fruit roll up) flakes, chopped peanuts, sugar, and golden raisins. I LOVED it! Grace and Audrey didn't like it as well as I did, but I have always had an affinity for gelatinous type things.